Shooting film without the hassles of scanning

[rf1552]

hi all
I was wondering what my options are if I want to continue to shoot film but not deal with the hassles of scanning negatives. Developing my own prints is not an option. the only other option I found it is to outsource the processing and scanning but it comes at a cost of 15 dollars per roll which is pretty high and they only do jpgs . is this my only option?

I was thinking about learning to edit looking only at the negatives and then sending the ones I want to be scanned. what do you think about that? Anybody in the same situation?

 

[boomguy57]

I send all my film out, so as to enjoy film without the time investment of processing and scanning things myself. I use North Coast Photo, and have had good results. There is a cost, and it isn't insignificant, but I like film, and value my time enough to "outsource" those processes.

Cheers.

 

[muser53]

Find a darkroom 🙂. ~ You might consider getting a Plustek 7600, for the cost of say 25-30 rolls of film you'll have at your disposal a good scanner, which you can use at your leisure. Once I developed my own workflow (with the help of others) I've found scanning to be pretty painless and like the fact fact that I get to control the photo process from beginning to end. Just like when I had access/space for a darkroom!

 

[Jamie123]

hi all
I was wondering what my options are if I want to continue to shoot film but not deal with the hassles of scanning negatives. Developing my own prints is not an option. the only other option I found it is to outsource the processing and scanning but it comes at a cost of 15 dollars per roll which is pretty high and they only do jpgs . is this my only option?

I was thinking about learning to edit looking only at the negatives and then sending the ones I want to be scanned. what do you think about that? Anybody in the same situation?

Get a cheap flatbed that scans the whole area (e.g. a used Epson 4990) so you can make digital contact sheets and then send out your selects for high end scans if you need them. Or just do proper scans of your selects on the flatbed.

For a quick look at my negs when I'm not near my scanner I sometimes use my iPhone with the 'white on black' inverted screen option but that gets trickier the smaller the format.

 

[Bob Michaels]

............................ I was thinking about learning to edit looking only at the negatives and then sending the ones I want to be scanned. what do you think about that? Anybody in the same situation?

I have edited negatives on a lightbox and only scanned only the top 2-3% for over 10 years. It works very well for me.

I have no problems editing 4-5 sheets of negatives on my lightbox but find editing 150 digital files on the computer screen to be a real task.

 

[Jamie123]

I have edited negatives on a lightbox and only scanned only the top 2-3% for over 10 years. It works very well for me.

Both bw and c-41? I find it's possible with bw but with color neg it can get quite tricky.

 

[jbrianfoto]

I edit my negatives on a light box, then shoot copy images with my camera mounted on a copy-stand using a micro lens. The images are more than good enough to publish on the web, and the whole process is like working in the darkroom (I use a negative carrier to hold the neg in place, which produces a sloppy boarder, just like when I print on silver paper).

 

[BardParker]

2Jamie123:
"For a quick look at my negs when I'm not near my scanner I sometimes use my iPhone with the 'white on black' inverted screen option but that gets trickier the smaller the format."[/QUOTE]

How do you do this? I tried the White on Black option with my 6x7 B&W negs, but couldnt see anything much on my ipad screen? 😕

Regards,

Kent

 

[KenR]

As a long time darkroom person, I ask the obvious question - why is a darkroom out of the question? I used bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms for many years until I built a darkroom. As darkroom stuff is being disposed of, this is the time to buy on the cheap and get started!

 

[Jamie Pillers]

hi all
I was wondering what my options are if I want to continue to shoot film but not deal with the hassles of scanning negatives. Developing my own prints is not an option. the only other option I found it is to outsource the processing and scanning but it comes at a cost of 15 dollars per roll which is pretty high and they only do jpgs . is this my only option?

I was thinking about learning to edit looking only at the negatives and then sending the ones I want to be scanned. what do you think about that? Anybody in the same situation?

You're going to run into a cost problem if you select only a few edits for scanning. When you have the entire roll scanned at the time of processing, you get the 'bulk' price for scanning and its all automated. But if you return the roll later, requesting only a few frames be scanned, then you're asking for a human to perform the scans one-by-one. The cost per scan will then jump tremendously and you'll be paying a LOT more than the $15 for the entire roll. I was running up against this problem as well. Its one of the big factors that has pushed me over to digital.

 

[John Bragg]

If processing is a chore for you then shoot on Ilford XP2 and get it one hour processed. That only leaves the scanning which is easy with chromogenic film and it has the benefit of a wide exposure latitude. I second the vote for Plustek scanners although I went for a 7400 as I mostly develop and scan Tri-X and have no need for all the extra bells and whistles eg scratch removal as it doesnt work on conventional black and white negatives.

 

[Jamie123]

2Jamie123:
"For a quick look at my negs when I'm not near my scanner I sometimes use my iPhone with the 'white on black' inverted screen option but that gets trickier the smaller the format."

How do you do this? I tried the White on Black option with my 6x7 B&W negs, but couldnt see anything much on my ipad screen? 😕

Regards,

Kent[/QUOTE]

You only get a faded image so it's not the best solution. I use it when I'm on my way home from the lab and can't wait to see what I've shot.

A better solution with the iPhone/iPad is to take a photo of the neg (against a lightbox, screen,sky, etc.), take it into the Adobe PS Express App, invert it (effects->tone->invert) and then adjust the contrast.

 

[boomguy57]

Seems everyone is more hands-on than me...but that doesn't surprise me. Many of the folks here seem of the DIY-sort. Personally, I like shooting, but don't much enjoy the darkroom/scanning/editing process. I'd rather have more time to shoot, or even (gasp!) do other things outside of photography 🙂

 

[wblynch]

Seems everyone is more hands-on than me...but that doesn't surprise me. Many of the folks here seem of the DIY-sort. Personally, I like shooting, but don't much enjoy the darkroom/scanning/editing process. I'd rather have more time to shoot, or even (gasp!) do other things outside of photography 🙂

He he, that's only because you haven't tried it yet!! 😱

Btw, Costco will develop, scan and print a roll of 35mm color film for about $8. And their scans are pretty good too. Drop em off - pick em up. Easy

 

[rf1552]

Can scanners make raw or dng files?

 

[rf1552]

He he, that's only because you haven't tried it yet!! 😱

Btw, Costco will develop, scan and print a roll of 35mm color film for about $8. And their scans are pretty good too. Drop em off - pick em up. Easy

But dont you risk poor quality processing? I assume they use low quality chemicals. Am I mistaken ? Trying to learn. Also how large can you print off a Costco scan?

 

[Bob Michaels]

Both bw and c-41? I find it's possible with bw but with color neg it can get quite tricky.

I do shoot very little color negative but I have evaluated the negs on a light box. I am confident that I know how to focus, expose and get the color reasonably close so I am only looking for overall composition and facial expression. That I can tell from a color neg viewed as a negative.

 

[froyd]

If processing is a chore for you then shoot on Ilford XP2 and get it one hour processed. That only leaves the scanning which is easy with chromogenic film and it has the benefit of a wide exposure latitude. I second the vote for Plustek scanners although I went for a 7400 as I mostly develop and scan Tri-X and have no need for all the extra bells and whistles eg scratch removal as it doesnt work on conventional black and white negatives.

I think that's the way forward for those not interested in developing film and willing to put up with scanning, while also spending less than $15 in the process. I would also add, that while scanning might be a PITA, it will give you more control than you are currently getting from the minilab.

As a long time darkroom person, I ask the obvious question - why is a darkroom out of the question? I used bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms for many years until I built a darkroom. As darkroom stuff is being disposed of, this is the time to buy on the cheap and get started!

For many, it's not about space. Printing taks space, but film developing requires only a sink and a changing bag. Time is more often the issue.

I was thinking about learning to edit looking only at the negatives and then sending the ones I want to be scanned. what do you think about that? Anybody in the same situation?

I second the coment that it might be more expensive than scanning the whole roll if you outsource. Additionally, I find it easy to edit BW frames on the lightbox, but much harder to do so with color.

 

[ReeRay]

I outsource the neg developing to a local lab with a 3 day postal turnaround. Cost is $3 per roll. I then batch scan Low res on an Epson V700 to establish keepers. This only takes a few minutes. I print a contact sheet which I find easier to evaluate. Keepers are then scanned with my Minolta Multi Pro but as they amount to only 4/5 per roll this is no big deal. As others have stated I only use XP2 which is easy to scan. I don't regard scanning as a hassle. On the contrary I actually enjoy it.

 

[htimsdj]

I shoot 135, 120, and 4x5, and I don't process myself, print myself or scan. I use a lab called Labwork, http://labwork-bw.com/, and they do everything I need. I happen to be local, but they work with many folks, near and far. I like to take pictures. I don't like to sit behind a computer or stand in a dark room.